Tea Rex: Companionship for Alessi’s Iconic Bird

The 9303 model was designed by American architect and designer Michael Graves. On the occasion of the kettle’s 30^th anniversary, Graves has created another winged creature for a kettle. He comments: “Some thoughts on the new dragon whistle: in bird years, 30 is as old as Methuselah. When Alberto Alessi asked me to design a new whistle to mark the 30^th anniversary of our kettle, I imagined the next step in the kettle’s evolution. In this step, our little bird is transformed into a superhero, a reptilian creature simultaneously prehistoric, mythological and futuristic. I chose the dragon and its jade-green colour because of its deep roots in traditional Chinese beliefs, where it represents power and happiness. Our dragon is friendly and does not breathe fire; it just lets off a bit of steam now and then. It has a smile on its face and a clearly audible whistle. Thanks to its wingspan, it can be removed from the kettle when the water boils. We hope our dragon will serve many years as the proud protector of kettle and kitchen.” Since its debut, the bird kettle has fascinated the public to such an extent that it has found its way into museums and the collections of international institutions such as London’s Design Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Zurich’s Museum for Design and the Australian National Gallery in Canberra. The new Tea Rex design will surely make its own entrance soon.